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Foyer Cafe Revives Ohio City’s Seymour Building

6 September 2018

Foyer, a new café in Ohio City, occupies space in the historic Seymour Building at the corner of Detroit Ave. and West 26th Street. It’s easy to spot if you look for the Kiefer’s Tavern sign, a familiar remnant from the building’s past.

Foyer has an elegant and airy feel, a contrast to the heavy brick building which contains it. Beer and wiener schnitzel, staples of the old tavern, have given way to artisan coffee, grain bowls and avocado toast.

They say you can’t be all things to all people, but Foyer sure does try.

The café is connected to Beauty Shoppe, a coworking space that launched at the same time. Beauty Shoppe, a Pittsburgh-based company, transforms historic buildings and develops them into flexible coworking spaces with a careful intent to maintain their original character.

Though created primarily as a benefit for Beauty Shoppe members, Foyer is open to the public and offers a pleasant environment where you can enjoy a light breakfast or lunch, and plenty of space for independent working or a small meeting or gathering.

Kyle Webb, Foyer’s café manager, likes to highlight the partnerships that demonstrate Foyer’s desire to be part of the neighborhood, noting that the café is serving as a CSA pick up location for Lettuce Heads Farm in Wellington. “We want to be a warm, inviting space for people to come to get some work done. While we’re not a trying to be a full service restaurant, we’re offering simple, beautiful food.”

Menu items feature products from the West Side Market, Ohio City Provisions and Wholesome Valley Farms with a heavy emphasis on Ohio products. There are some exceptions—the café serves Parlor coffee and Chamellia tea, citing the exceptional quality. Oat and almond milk are substituted for any beverage at no charge.

A classic to-go cup of “drip coffee” is available for $1 or $2, a deal more akin to a gas station than an upscale café, and a bottomless cup is just $2.50. Kyle hopes the fair price will send a welcoming message to the neighborhood.

Even the more creative beverage choices, like the Kaffe Tonic or a 9-spice Masala Chai, are well-priced and easy to enjoy with a sweet from Tommy’s Pastries of Lakewood, a family-owned Hungarian bakery selected for their taste and presentation.

Foyer serves a small breakfast and lunch menu every day, and on Fridays, the nearby Plum Kitchen does a pop-up from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. with a menu that will change periodically. Foyer is open 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. and the space can be rented after hours for private events.